First time on the team
Doan Ngoc Tan is one of two new players called up by coach Kim Sang-sik to the Vietnam national team. In contrast to his junior Tran Bao Toan, who has been a regular at many youth levels, Doan Ngoc Tan is getting to know the national team for the first time. For most of his career, he was only a mid-level player.
Ngoc Tan grew up from the The Cong youth training center but left little impression and soon moved to Ho Chi Minh City to play football. After that, he joined Hai Phong and began to prove his ability as a right-back.
However, Ngoc Tan was originally trained as a central midfielder. When he transferred to Thanh Hoa, in a match where the Thanh Hoa team was short of players, legendary coach Ljupko Petrovic brought Ngoc Tan back to the midfield. His abundant physical strength and brave fighting spirit helped Ngoc Tan return to where he belonged.
After 4 seasons of “plowing” every square meter of grass on Thanh Hoa field, Doan Ngoc Tan was officially called up to the Vietnam national team for the first time. He was surprised to hear the news through a friend and was immediately congratulated by the whole team and coach Velizar Popov during Thanh Hoa’s training session.
The fire continues to burn
It is too early to say whether Doan Ngoc Tan can compete for a starting spot in the Vietnam national team. Le Pham Thanh Long, Nguyen Hai Long, Nguyen Thai Son and Nguyen Van Truong all provide quality options for coach Kim Sang-sik.
If the trio Thanh Long - Ngoc Tan - Thai Son are placed in the starting lineup, Mr. Kim will use the same framework that made his colleague Velizar Popov successful in his first season leading Thanh Hoa.
Compared to Thanh Long or Thai Son, Ngoc Tan has not even had his first "recruitment meal". But for the new recruits, their fire of desire and determination to prove themselves is even greater than that of the pillars.
In fact, coach Kim Sang-sik did not call up Ngoc Tan “to make up the numbers”. Compared to his old players, he excels in one-on-one combat. In terms of defense, the midfielder born in 1994 is rated higher than Thai Son. Many teammates joked that if Ngoc Tan was asked to “jump into the fire”, he would still do it, as long as the team won.
During his two weeks in Korea, Doan Ngoc Tan will have to prove his ability to coach Kim Sang-sik. When Hung Dung declined and was removed from the Vietnamese team, it was clear that Mr. Kim needed a new running machine, a new source of energy for the Vietnamese team before the AFF Cup 2024.
Opportunities are shared equally and Ngoc Tan will write a special chapter for himself, when his career begins to enter its twilight phase.
